Streetcar Bistro and Taproom: Train in Vain

In attempting to summon cool, Streetcar Bistro and Taproom(1101 NW Northrup St., 227-2988, streetcarbistro.com)
might have looked a bit farther than our city’s much-loathed covered
moving sidewalk. But then again, cool may not be the goal of this Pearl
District outpost, which on my visit played soundless infomercials for
Carol Burnett DVD sets, and on the stereo switched between smooth jazz
and Carly Rae Jepsen. With its padded white vinyl seats, pale exposed
wood and brightly lit shelves lined with liquor, Streetcar Bistro
recalls an airport bar—the sort of a place you visit out of convenience,
boredom and the indiscrimination born of exhaustion. The 30-strong tap
list is respectable, but the beer cocktails disappoint. The Apocalypse
Now (gin, lemon juice and Aperol, topped with 10 Barrel Apocalypse IPA),
designed by local beer cocktail booster Jacob Grier, was watery, and
the Stout Sangaree (stout, simple syrup, ruby port, cinnamon and nutmeg)
lacked complexity. If you’ve got 20 minutes to kill before that pokey
streetcar arrives, there are worse ways to spend it than inside these
polished walls, but otherwise, wait until the next train.